


The Story Behind Cooking

by asmallauthor



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: 5 Things, Family, IM A SAP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 16:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10768062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asmallauthor/pseuds/asmallauthor
Summary: 5 times Natsume couldn't cook for himself and one time he could





	The Story Behind Cooking

One  
A quiet whine cut through the Natsume household, and although it was quiet, it caught the attention of the mother just as much as a loud train whistle would. Natsume was not a loud child, and very rarely would he cry or show discomfort.

At an age of 9 months, it was clear that anyone who would take care of the precious bundle would have to be extra attentive. 

After a quick diaper change and a new set of clothes, the child continued to frown up at his mother clearly unsatisfied (not displeased but definitely not happy). Three in the morning was not an opportune time to be up, but a helpless child could not be left to fend for its own food. 

Padding softly to the kitchen cradling her child, the women prepared a few ounces of formula. She was careful not to wake her husband, and she left the light off to avoid the event. Trusting in the softness of the moonlight to light her movements, she put the bottle to the mouth of her baby that peered up at her with bright clear eyes. Eyes that could see more than a normal child could.

She leaned back in the chair as Natsume drank the formula. The focused expression he had while eating shifted to the hallway. The expression almost seemed like he could see a person standing there. Reaching out an arm, he grasped at whatever the boys imagination was creating.

Her son’s actions amused her, and she snorted through her nose ungracefully. At three a.m. in the moonlight her son was a reminder of how much she loved life. Little did she know that this would be one of the few happy times before her diagnosis. 

Two  
Both he and his dad were pretty bad at cooking, yet every Wednesday he and his father would walk down to the store to buy enough ingredients to make a sizable picnic. There would be rice balls, various sides, and drinks. 

Not being trusted to carry any heavy bags, Natsume would walk next to his father carrying a boxed apple juice. The sun overhead beamed down through the branches of the trees that lined the walkway. 

Twenty minutes later, reaching the house, Natsume would run into the house to pull out the quilt that lay in the back closet. His father on the other hand would take the groceries into the kitchen to prepare the lunch. (Every time Natsume helped, the two became acquainted with the local fire department. Again.)

The quilt Natsume held smelt of the missing piece of their family. It was a bittersweet smell that when placed in the blooming garden, healed the open wounds in the two men's’ hearts a little bit.   
Natsume knew his dad enjoyed these moments even if halfway through he would forget his son was there and smile at the flowers in a way that showed healing pain. He wasn’t old enough to help cook yet, but when he turned eight he promised that if it helped his father, he would cook every day for him.

Three  
Slamming the door, Ren walked into the condo. The alcohol on his breath rolled across the room as he breathed out a deep sigh. The damn kid was turning eight today, and he was still stuck with the waste of space. 

A few months ago the kid, Takashi Natsume, was tossed into his care. He guessed the rest of the family felt the creepy kid belonged with the family drunk. At least Ren could cook. For God's sake, the last attempt the kid had made to cook had been a mess.

Maybe it was his fault for forgetting to feed the brat. No, that would be ridiculous. It was the kids fault. 

Speaking of the devil, a very light blond head stuck his head through the doorway. Probably thought he was being sneaky about peeking into the room too. Ignoring the supervision of the eight year old, he staggered to the couch. 

Hopefully Natsume had finished his homework, not that he really cared, because Ren was about to pass out until his hangover woke him up tomorrow afternoon. About time the boy learned how to fend for himself anyway. 

That was Ren’s thought process until he heard a loud gurgle from a tiny stomach to his right. Sighing, he opened his eyes wondering why the kid couldn’t cook for himself. He sat up and walked towards the kitchen noticing that no tiny footsteps dared to follow him. 

Ren quickly grabbed an apple, walked back towards the couch, tossed the kid the apple, and laid down all in one motion. A quiet ‘thank you’ reached his ears before he blacked out that night, and he didn’t hear it again until the brat left the nest week. 

The ‘thank you’ sounded more hungry and lost every time he heard it so he drank himself into oblivion.

Four  
Yuriko Ogata noticed that Natsume either bought lunch or didn't eat that that day. It continued for over two weeks before the lunch lady gave him a weird look. It was three weeks before the same lunch lady realized that he was the same kid who was “breaking all those windows for attention” and realized she didn’t care. 

It was four weeks until Yuriko decided enough was enough and split her homemade bento with him. 

It was five weeks until she realized that a little kindness goes a long way. She wished she didn't waste five weeks because the smile he gave her warmed her heart just a little bit more every time. It was also then that she realized that she would kill anybody that tried to hurt Natsume.

From there, it became common occurrence to share a meat bun on the way home because never in her life had she seen Natsume with a home cooked meal.

She had fond memories of an ice cream truck where they would order push pops. Every now and then he would get started or run away from something she couldn’t see, but she would just buy him another push pop if he dropped his in shock. 

No matter what he mother said and how many people told her to stay away from Natsume, she was a little (very) prideful when during the quarterly checkup Natsume gained a few more pounds. 

They were assigned a group cooking project a month later, and even if she had to restart the cooking three times, she was happy. Never before had she laughed so hard or seen Natsume blush so much. It was worth the B- they got on their cupcakes when they ate half of them.

When Natsume left after that, she hoped it was a place where either someone would make sure Natsume stayed fed, or someone took the smart route and taught him how to cook.

Five  
No matter how many times Natsume insisted, anything heated up in a microwave or anything already pre-made was not cooking no matter whose standards you went by. 

Kitamoto and Nishimura were pretty sure that if left alone without Touko-san’s cooking, Natsume would starve. You would think that someone who had a mom who cooked everyday and sent homemade bentos to school would know how to cook, but the answer was a strong no. 

For English, one of the speaking tests was “What is one of your favorite food? How do you prepare it?”, and the class spent ten minutes talking about childhood memories with their parents and siblings. When Natsume tried to pass off that he just reheated things, Kitamoto and Nishimura were personally offended. 

Besides, they wouldn’t pass up anything that would give them time to hang out with their friend. Any opportunity to do so had to be taken. The safety of their kitchen be damned. And even if Natsume ran out of the house yelling something about “I forgot I have something to take care of”, it was okay because they had something to take care of too. Like how to stop the fire in the pot of boiling water Natsume left behind. 

+1  
When it was announced that Natsume would be making the rice balls for the school picnic, several worried glances were shared in the room. His infamous cooking skills were a rumor and were discreetly discussed every now and then by the most gossipy students. 

However, Natsume was determined. 

When he was very young he couldn’t help his father, he couldn't take care of himself and made strangers watch over him, he depended too much on friends to cook or give him food, and frankly, he was sick of it.

Along the way, food had become synonymous with family. Family, love, trust was a two way street and it was Natsume’s turn to cook for himself and his family. Which had come to include the whole class. Maybe even the whole town. 

It took 6 different tries with the rice cooker and a few hours getting the shape right, but by the end, Natsume’s dish was voted class favorite. Even though he used sugar instead of salt. 

And if everyone was a little bit proud, everyone told him so.


End file.
